Nourlangie Safari Camp, Episode 34
Nourlangie Safari Camp, here is 9SLK
Is anybody listening? (My radio code)
From the Diaries of Flemming Jensen 1968-1969
Small Episode
One day when I returned from a fishing trip on the lake, I met Jack and he asked me what I had caught and I had to explain that I had not caught anything. He made a sign and I followed him along the edge of the lake. At one point we came to a place, a sort of recess where there was shade. We walked cautiously forward and Jack showed me the fish in here and at midday when it was hot out on the lake. It was here he went and caught fish with a wooden stick! Just think: I have been sitting all day with all sorts of modern fishing gear and sweating in the middle of the lake while the fish were at the edge. I really felt like an amateur and took my hat off to Jack.
Tuesday, 22nd April 1969
Allan did not come today, but it's no surprise. Personally I do not think that he will come before next weekend. On Friday is Anzac Day, a memorial day for Australian and New Zealand military personnel and he will probably spend it with his friends when it is celebrated in Darwin. Aside from that, I am fine. Toby and I went over to the other side of Nourlangie Creek to Burdbulba. Here we fished and I caught three big barramundi’s. All between five and six pounds so now there is fresh fish in the house again. It is the best trip I have had for a long time and I really enjoyed it. We went through the swamp and along narrow streams and sometimes we had to pull the boat because it was too shallow. Toby usually goes to this place in the rainy season to catch buffaloes. At this time of the year they normally can be found here. I would not even be able to find them over here. It is only for connoisseurs of the country.
It was like I said a glorious and somewhat strenuous trip and it took the most of the day. The evening Sock (one of the puppies) was bitten by a snake on its tongue. It lies and is convulsing but there's nothing I can do. I only hope it was not one of the most poisonous snakes that bit him.
Wednesday, 23rd April 1969
Today it is nine months since I left Denmark and I had to say that it has been a great time. There is probably another half a year before that I'm home again. It was fortunately not one of the most poisonous snakes that bit Sock yesterday and she survived in any case. Again I stopped the freezer so now I only use the fridge with the dog food. After Sunday there is absolutely no more kerosene. This afternoon I was on a boar hunt with old Carla. She is not easy to follow when she walks through the countryside although she is over sixty. I must concentrate and take major steps to follow her.
Her dog had given account of a large boar but just as I got to shoot with the 22 it disappeared into an area with dense shrubbery where we could not follow it. We gave up the hunt for today. After Toby told me about the Goose camp I would like to see it. Here in the dry season there would be thousands of geese. An amazing sight says Toby.
Thursday, 24th April 1969
I did not expect to see Allan before Saturday or Sunday so I took it easy. In the afternoon I
took the Nissan and drove about ten kilometres down the road to Jim Jim to see if the road was clear. When I came home and was ready for a deserved nap, Toby came suddenly with two strangers. Meanwhile I had been away and an airplane had arrived with Allan and two guests. Allan brought letters from Alice and my father and mother and it was probably the most important thing he could bring to me. It was nice to hear news from home again as it had been four months since I have heard! Now things got lively and we had a really nice evening. When finally something happens, it is really going on. I just love it. Dinner was fresh barramundi and then cold beer and delicious rum. Regarding my previous letters to Alice she apparently could not read my handwriting, because she must have read my $45 to $215 which she believed was to be my weekly wage as a guide. If I could earn $ 215 a week as a guide here at Nourlangie Safari I would never do otherwise. Here is something I have to explain better in the next letter.